My life has gone through some dramatic shifts and my training has gone way down. But I am still committed to doing a century this upcoming summer and have begun my training again.
Last week I did four 30 min general work outs at the Parks Recreation Center in Kilgore Tx, stair steppers, elliptical, walking track, free weights, chess press, shoulder press, and some sort of row machine.
I have been working on some basic flexibility/ yoga over the past two weeks as well, with a 30 min warm up routine each morning before work, nothing crazy but just keeping me limber(ish)
Yesterday I did a 5 mile hike at Tyler State Park. Wonderful day to be outside, I love this time of year in Texas!
Today I got back on the bike and did a 5 mile ride (you can see my route
here), not the most enjoyable ride every but it felt good to be back on a bike.
This week I am going to try to do
this strength training workout at the gym after work(I am trying not to ride in the dark for safety reasons)
Warm Up:
Slow-Mo Overhead Throw (4 times):
Start standing with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms down by sides. Slowly sweep arms out in front of you and then overhead, reaching arms back as if throwing something over your head behind you. Allow lower back to arch and hips to press forward as arms reach overhead. Repeat this 4 times.
Waist Twists (4 times):
Start standing with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms extended out in front of your chest, palms facing in. Keeping hips facing forward, slowly open right arm behind you, looking back over right shoulder, twisting through upper body only. Untwist slowly back to starting position and then repeat to the left. Alternate twisting sides, 2 times on each side.
Add a Knee Lift (4 times):
Repeat the standing waist twists, and as you turn upper body to the right, draw your right knee up and forward, balancing on the left leg. Slowly untwist and repeat to left, drawing left knee up. Alternate twisting sides, 2 times on each side.
Land Swimming (16 counts):Start standing with feet hip-width apart; bring arms up in front of chest, palms facing down. Draw your abs in tight. Make a large circle with your right arm from the front to the back of the body, as if doing a swim stroke. As the right arm comes under and back to the front, start the left arm circle back. Allow knees to bend and as you get into your groove with the movement, build up your speed and depth of the knee bend using your legs to also help propel the circle. Repeat this for 16 counts.
The Workout:
Narrow Squat & Overhead Press (16 reps)Start standing with feet together; toes pointed forward, one dumbbell in each hand.
Bend elbows keeping them in close to your torso, and bring dumbbells up to shoulder level, with palms facing in to body. Squat back into hips, squeezing inner thighs together to keep knees touching as they bend, knees behind toes. Stand up out of squat as you press your arms overhead, rotating your palms away from you, pressing
dumbbells to the ceiling, being careful not to lock out your elbow or knee joints as you press. That’s one rep. Repeat 16 times total.
Plie Squat & Curl Twist (16 reps)
Step feet wider than hip width apart, with toes rotated out slightly about 45 degrees, a dumbbell in each hand. Bend knees, tracking them over toes and hold plie position, making sure to keep knees rotated out over toes, not buckling in. Bring right arm in front of body and the left arm behind your left hip, turning upper body slightly to the left. Then, curl both arms up, bending elbows in by ribs and stopping dumbbells at about armpit level (don’t let the weights touch your body), while turning body straight ahead. As you lower arms, reach the left arm in front, right arm behind hip and turn torso to the right. That’s one rep. Repeat 16 times total, alternating sides each time.
Triceps Extension & Side Lunge (16 reps)Start with feet wider than hip width apart, with elbows bent and pulled in close by ribs, a dumbbell in each hand.
Hinge forward from the hips, bringing chest towards the floor, bending knees slightly, and keeping back straight. Lunge into right leg as you extend and straighten your arms back behind you, palms facing in, reaching knuckles back to the wall behind you. Bend elbows and straighten right leg. That’s one rep. Repeat 16 times total, alternating sides each time.
Rear Row Plank (16 reps)Start on the ground, on all fours, with one dumbbell in each hand. Holding onto the dumbbells, extend legs out into a wide V, and bring body into a top of a
push up position. Row your right arm by bending elbow and lifting the right dumbbell off the floor and bringing it up to the outside of your ribcage. Lower the right arm back to the floor, being careful not to slam the weight down. That’s one rep. Repeat 16 times, alternating arms each time. If the plank is too difficult to hold, keep knees on the ground as you row.
Chest Press & Side Knee Drop (16 reps)
Lie down on your back, with a dumbbell in each hand, and lift feet off the floor, bringing knees together bent at a 90-degree angle, and arms extended straight up over chest, palms facing away from your head. Keep your abs drawn in tight. Bend arms at a 90-degree angle with your arms open out to the sides of your shoulders (do not let your elbows touch the ground) as you turn both knees towards the right at about a 2 o’clock position. As you press arms back up straight over chest, draw knees back into a 12 o’clock position. Repeat press, dropping knees to an 11 o’clock position. Repeat 16 times total, alternating knee drop sides each time.
Push Ups with Quad Reach Workout
Start with feet wide, at the top of a push up position (plank). Do a push up, keeping body in a straight line as you lower being careful not to let your hips sag, and abs tight. Return to plank position, and lift right leg off the floor trying to keep your body as still and steady as possible. Lower leg and repeat push up. Hold plank and lift left leg. Lower and repeat, then lift right arm, reaching out and front by your ear, palm facing down. Repeat push up and lift left arm. Do 16 push- ups in total, alternating the leg lifts and arm raises. This is a tough move, so if you need to, modify your push-ups on bent knees and then stay on knees for the arm or leg raise.
Going on two years now of living in small town USA has been a transition for the mega cities of Asia. Working for non-profits has taken up a fair amount of my time but wanting to stay busy I enrolled in Kilgore Tx, Citizens Police Academy. I hoped to make some friends, but got a highly engaging Thursday night activity over the last two months. Most small town police departments offer Citizens academy's and I highly recommend trying it out, the one in Kilgore TX has been wonderful. Last week we got to shoot police guns and ride along in the police training track.
The final room in the main exhibit hall did have some informative videos on Fracking, even if they left out what the "other" is and if they made facking seem like the critical component in human existence It is an oil museum, I guess that to be expected, not a two sided tale but one of the great patriotic realization. The room was also home to some fantastic belt buckles that I am dying to find for myself.
